Walk With Darrell

In life we have times when we reach the mountain top, and the view can be breathtaking. We can’t stay on the mountain top forever; we must also go through the valleys. The valleys can be filled with struggles, bad news on health issues, family issues, job issues. Things that challenge our faith. These can be times that we feel God has left us. The disciples had to deal with the valleys also. They had lived an incredible experience of living with Christ for three years watchin

In the Navy there were two great feelings that were tough to beat. One was the thrill of getting underway and the other was getting ready to pull into port. We referred to it as “Channel Fever”. I can remember one time when we were getting ready to pull into San Diego, we couldn’t because there was a storm in the Pacific, and it was too rough for our ship to go into the ship channel. Once the storm passed what a great feeling of relief to have the storm clouds move on and t

We all probably have had times in our lives when we faced storms that seemed daunting. This can be very frightening. Many people in our country are going through a storm right now. I have had to face some big storms in my life. The storms came in many directions, the loss of a loved one; a serious health issue in the family; uncertainty in a job; or a child that has gone wayward. These are big storms in anyone’s life that can cause us to worry and be very frightening. There i

“Where do you put your Worth” Have you ever had a time in your life when you had low self-esteem? That can happen when try to judge your self-worth through the lens of the world and what the world puts value in. The world values power, fame, fortune, beauty, and materialism. This can lead people to feel unworthy when they don’t measure up. We have all seen tragic headlines where a young actor or actress who seemed to have everything the world can offer takes their life tragic

“Family Legacy” This weekend I am attending a family reunion. Reunions give you a chance to look at how your family has changed over time and then how some things have not changed. I have seen pictures where my grandparents were young attending family get togethers. There is a family legacy that has been developed over the years and it is still alive today. Family legacy is something that is passed on from family. Our family legacy is one that is filled with love. I was luc

Numbers don’t Matter I learned a valuable lesson one Sunday while teaching a Sunday School class. I only had two people show up for class and my wife wasn’t even there as she was working as a nurse in the hospital that day. To be honest I was a little discouraged. However, the Lord put an older couple in my class that both had fathers who had been pastors. I still reflect on their words they shared with me to this day that their fathers shared with them. They said Darrell, “w

Do you stay awake worrying about your kids? I can remember when my boys had jobs during college working in a restaurant. Working in a restaurant can get your children home well after midnight. Then later in life I had a son who went into the military and now he is really out past bedtime. If you allow it, this can lead to some restless nights of sleep for a parent that worries about their safety and wonders where their children are at. Here is how I handled this phase of my

How far can we go without food, water, or oxygen? Depending on your health we can go a few days without food and maybe three days without water. We need oxygen after a couple of minutes. Some athletes can go longer. Now the question is how long can we go without refueling our faith? Jesus spent time praying to the Father even after having a busy day to get recharged. We need to get our soul fuel and get spiritually recharged on a regular basis. When was the last time you h

“Never Pass up an Opportunity to Pray for Someone” You never know when God will put you in a situation to pray for someone. When that time comes don’t pass it up. You might be at work, it could be in someone’s house, it might be in a hospital room, or it could be on a golf course. Now some of my golf buds say my game needs lots of prayer, but I am not talking about praying for my golf game. The point is stop what you are doing and pray. God might only give you that one op

“Is your relationship Intellectual?” Over the years I have met numerous people who used the title of “Christian”. In further conversation you realize their mother attends church, but they haven’t opened a bible since going to Vacation Bible School as a kid and never put their faith and trust in Jesus. We need to make sure our relationship with God is as Lord and Savior and not just intellectual knowledge of God. In our country there are many people that know the story of Jesu

Has your heart ever been full of happiness and proud of a child and then ached for them? This is the time of year when kids head off to college and for many this is the first time being away from mom and dad. I have a few friends that are facing this right now for the first time and it can be tough. I have been there a few times with my boys. As a parent you want your kids to succeed so much, and you want the best for them. I have dropped a child off at college before and y

Be a Blessing to Someone Today You can be a blessing to someone today. One of the things I used to say to my Sunday School Class, “lets show God’s Love outside of the four walls of our Sunday School class”. As Christians we have been blessed by God in many ways. We need to take that Love we received from God and show it to the world. The bible is filled with stories of God’s Love shown to mankind. It also shows man showing God’s Love to others. One example is the story of th

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I am not sure who first came up with this in history, or what world event was taking place that caused them to say it. It sure sounds like it could be used in today’s times with the evil that is showing its face in the world. As a Christian it is important to take a stand against evil. I am not saying stand there and shake our fist, although that might feel good. However, we can respond rather t

People have all kinds of ideas for the meaning of life. John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I have known people who have had their life and self-worth tied up in their jobs and professions. The problem is that when your job or profession falls apart then they struggle with their self-worth. God did not intend for us to have a meaning of life that does not include Jesus Christ. He did intend for our meaning and purpose of life

2 Corinthians 13:11 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. We all have days where it is tough to be happy with a joyful heart. Have you ever had the day when you feel like a grumpy Christian? When we are like this, it is a struggle to be a witness for the Lord. It affects our whole day. The question is, how do we get out of this funk we are in

Have you ever been caught in the middle of having to make a tough choice? You find yourself torn between following God’s teachings and principles as one path and choosing a path that you know is opposite of what God desires but popular with the world. Following God might make you a target for scorn from the world that denies God’s authority. The world’s culture might accuse you of being intolerant or narrow-mindedness if you follow God’s principles. Each one of us might be fa

Proverbs 12:25 “Worry weighs down the heart,” Even though we are Christians and have been given assurance of salvation--- even though we are Christians and received the promise of God’s love and protection--- we still find ourselves worrying over details of our daily lives. Jesus knew we would face worry because He talked about it a lot in scripture. Matthew 6:25 (NIV) Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, God is bigger than any problem we might have, so put you

Are any of you facing any battles in your life? I imagine if we had a show of hands many of us, if not all of us, would be facing battles in our lives. My hand is up. We are facing all kinds of battles, including sickness battles, financial battles, spiritual battles, domestic trouble, trouble with wayward children, and more. It is a frightening thing when we don’t have an answer to our battles. We realize we need help. The question is how do we make the battle we are dealin

As Christians we look forward to the Lord’s return. Perhaps today will be the day. The question we all need to answer, “Are we ready?” If the Lord returned today, could I say Lord, I lived today in such a way that the Lord would be proud of. If I knew the Lord was returning at 5:00 PM today, how would that affect what I did with my day. Would I just take it easy, or would I have a sense of urgency to make sure the people I knew, knew about Christ’s Good News of Salvation. In

1 Kings 19;12(KJV) And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. The Lord speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. He is the third person of the Trinity, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. God’s Spirit dwells within each Christian, just as Jesus promised. Do we listen to the Holy Spirit? John14:15-17 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to